Wild Wind Ann
by kazekuro
Summary: Ann is a normal reclusive wanderer, all she wants to do is explore every island in the grand line. So why can't the marines and bounty hunters just leave her alone? And why does she care what happens to Ace?
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: Sadly I do not own One Piece. **

**Summary****: Ann is a **_**normal**_** reclusive wanderer; she doesn't consider herself a pirate, after all you need a crew for that and a big ship, right? All she ever wanted was to explore every island in the grand line. So why can't the marines and bounty hunters just leave her be? Follow Ann's first year exploring the Grand line, discovering shocking things about the world she was born into but never dreamed possible, in her thirst for knowledge, adventure, and excitement. Then plunge head on into the Whitebeard War in a desperate attempt to save Ace. But why does she care what happens to Ace? Can she change fate? OC-centric.**

**XXXX**

**Chapter 1: Prologue **

…step through left, flag right, reach, step up, shift weight, pinch…. each movement, synchronized with a breath, was slow and precise. Occasionally the slender figure would stop on a particularly good hold and rest for a moment, shaking out one arm to get rid it of the slightly pumped feeling starting to creep into the muscles before continuing on. A blank, calm mind allowed the body moved on instinct, the texture of the warm rock vibrating with life beneath small hands.

Hands gripping the top, the young girl brought one leg up in a heel hook just below the top and mantled up the end of the route like a boulder problem. The top outs were always the toughest part for her. Even after years of climbing she still didn't have much upper body strength, couldn't even do a pull up. Not that she really ever tried to, one needed to use their legs and technique in order to climb well. Using a lot of upper body just wore you out faster, one reason she never practiced pull ups; they would give her an out, allowing her to muscle up a route instead of using good technique and making it look pretty. Plus she was just plain lazy and didn't want to practice them.

Laying on the rock for a moment mentally taking inventory, her legs were a bit shaky as where her arms. The climb itself, 12b, was difficult, but wasn't, by far the hardest she'd climbed. The route was damn long though, with just enough overhang to rate it a 12b, in her opinion, without the overhang it might have been an 11c/d. It had been awhile since she had come across a higher rated climb that was so high.

She lazily reclined back on her elbows and gazed at the setting sun from her perch on top the two hundred fifty-foot cliff she had just free solo-ed, sweat still glistening on her forehead causing her blonde/black bangs to stick to her face. The elated feeling she normally felt after completing such a climb was curiously absent, not even the stunning array of colors painted against the darkening sky brought her pleasure. Instead, she felt a deep coldness seep into her chest, at odds with the dry heat of the summer island she was currently on.

_Something's wrong,_ she thought, focusing on the feeling and trying to figure out what it meant.

"Kak kak" a small peregrine falcon circled the girl once before dropping a newspaper in her lap and perching lightly on her right shoulder.

"Ah, thank you, Zephyr." Impassively tucking a blonde/black strand behind her right ear, exposing a thin chain connecting the six of the seven piercings there, as she skimmed through the paper. Not really her favorite reading material, to her newspapers were mostly depressing, usually reporting disasters, wars, deaths, new laws, the latest pirate attack, and mayhem in general, but it was always wise to keep up with the happenings of the world. No matter how reclusive her brother thought she was, at least she did read the news. Turning the page Ann froze, her hands began to shake as she slowly read the main article. The coldness in her chest rapidly expanding with every line she read.

"Shit. Shit. Shit." Her grip tightened on the paper, "Fuck no." Her eyes closed, head bowed as she focus on calming the tears that threatened to fall. "I should have gone the moment I felt… so what if he got upset about it? At least it wouldn't have come to this."

Taking a deep breath she opened her eyes, now was not the time to fall apart. She had to go to him, do whatever it took to get there in time. Time was of the essence; she was at the beginning of the grand line, almost at Reverse Mountain for gods' sake. How on earth could she make it to the opposite red line in three days? No, no, she shook her head, she couldn't think like that, she would make it in time, Zephyr was fast, and she just had to believe he would get her there in time.

"Looks like there's going to be a long journey ahead of us, Zeph and a short time to get there" Ann cocked her head to the left looking side ways at her friend. "It'll be tough, impossible really, but we have to try."

"Kak!"

"That's right Zeph, we will make it in time, no matter what." The girl turned her angry gaze towards the eastern sky, eyes flashing. "We're going, to Marineford."

With that resolve she calmly stood and dusted off the seat of her black leggings and adjusted her teal sash before stepping off the edge of the cliff with a smirk.


	2. Romance Dawn

**Disclaimer: Sadly I do not own One Piece. **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2: Romance Dawn<strong>

**3 years ago**

"Take care Ace," Luffy said looking down at the older boy standing in a small boat from his vantage point on top of the short cliff.

"Don't get lost since I won't be there to point you in the right direction" Ann grinned from her spot beside Luffy. Makino, Mayor Wood Slap, and the bandits stood slightly behind them as they saw Ace off.

"Yeah, see you Luffy, Ann! I'm going now!" Ace replied right hand keeping his orange cowboy hat from flying away as the wind blew gently.

"Uh-huh! I'll be a lot stronger when I leave here in three years!" Ace smiled at Luffy's statement as he cast off.

"Good luck" sang Luffy and Ann.

"Take care" called the bandits.

"Don't catch a cold" Makino smiled.

"You just wait! I'll make my name soon!" Ace waved back at them.

"He's gone," Luffy stated.

"Honestly! I wander what Garp would say?" Huffed the mayor.

* * *

><p>"Ne, Ann, are you still planning on going?" Luffy asked.<p>

"But of course" the petite girl replied. The rest of the farewell wishers had left leaving Luffy and Ann standing at the cliff looking out at the vast ocean.

"Ace won't be happy about that, he told you to stay here and wait for him to come back for you."

"I was never good at following orders. Besides just cause I'm a girl doesn't mean I should have to stay where its 'safe' while you boys go on an adventure."

"When will you leave?"

"In a few weeks. Everyone is watching me right now, I'll have to wait for them to drop their guard a little before I can slip away."

* * *

><p><strong>A few weeks later…<strong>

The dark eastern sky was faintly brightened by the soft colors of the pre-dawn sun. Two figures stood in dark in the exact same spot where they had watched Ace leave several weeks prior.

"I'm heading out now, Luff."

"Take care, Ann."

"Let's meet again, on the Grand Line!"

"Yosh! Just wait, in three years I'll come find you and you can be part of my crew."

Ann laughed softly, "We'll see Luff. But you know I have no ambition to find One Piece. As long as I eventually find Raftel I'll be happy."

"Then you have to be one of my nakama, because I'm going to be the one to find it and become Pirate King!"

"Like I said, we'll see. First I plan to explore every island on the first half of the Grand Line before heading to the New World. I know I'll need a crew to sail with if I want to survive in the second half. Might as well be yours-"

"Yahoo!"

"That is, if I don't get a better offer." Ann smirked at Luffy's frown.

"Hey there she is!" The two started at the distant voice.

"Ah hell, I didn't think they'd catch on this soon." Ann spoke calmly as she turned to her boat.

"Stop Ann!"

The bandits were racing to the shoreline as fast as they could. Ann wasn't worried; they were still too far away to stop her. _Still it wouldn't be a bad idea to get going before they got much closer,_ she thought as she hopped down, landing silently on the boat.

"Wait Ann" pant, pant, "you can't go!" But it was too late. The small boat was already sailing away.

"Luff, take care of yourself, I'll see you in three years."

"You can count on it."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry the first two chapters were so short. Now that the story is set up the chapters will be longer. **


	3. Planning

**Chapter 3 Planning**

"Wow, I've already made it to the next island…" Ann smiled at the hazy island in the distance. It had been several days since she had left Luffy behind on Dawn Island, but the weather had remained calm and clear. Good thing too, considering her small boat (could it even be considered a boat anyway? seemed more rafted like to her) wouldn't have held up on rough waters.

"Seriously, how on earth did Ace think he would get very far in something like this?" Ann paused, frowning slightly and looked at the sky in irritation. "It's only been a few days and I'm already talking to myself, great."

Finally making port a few hours later Ann casually walked through the main road of the city. It reminded her of the city in Goa, now that brought back memories, speaking of… turning sharply Ann looked back at a shop she just past continuing to walk backwards-

"Gomennasai, silly me not watching where I was-"

"How dare you touch me, do you even know who I am?" The man looked down his nose at her in disgust before brushing off his clothes and walking away muttering about the rudeness of commoners. Ann stared after him wide-eyed in bewilderment; _me rude! He was the rude one._ _I just don't understand people. No matter, _she smiled impishly,_ though I wish I could see his face if he ever found out that he had just paid for this commoner's food, lodgings, and other necessities. __Arigatou__ Dadan._

She continued down the road in search of food. Mentally making note of everything she wanted to get on this island and plotting the best way to acquire them, preferably a method that took very little effort and reaped a huge reward. Thanks to her time spent with the mountain bandits Ann had a few tricks up her sleeve. She could easily pull off a big hit or despite her lack of physical strength she could take down a man twice her size. The only question was whether to steal or hunt, either way she'd need a target and information. The easiest route would then be decided based on opportunity and payout.

Turning back to the first most important item on her list Ann picked up her speed, searching for a good place to satisfy her growling stomach and gain valuable information about the island and its current occupants.

**XXX**

Ann sat in the back corner of the bar-like restaurant facing the door eating quietly while observing the customers, and listening to the conversations around her. At the bar sat a geeky shorthaired man drowning his sorrows and crying to the bartender about how his wife left him when she found out he was cheating on her and he didn't understand why she would just walk out on him. An older woman sat twitching near the door, an eat and run newb no doubt. Her shabby cloths, designer label, attested to recently lost money. A couple of rougher looking men in front of her were talking bounties, none of which where high enough to be worth the trouble really. But it was group of four young men sitting beside her that caught her attention.

"-widow is at it again."

"Poor sap, doesn't know what he's getting into."

"He's not from around here, though I doubt she could find a man around here that would have her."

"Hey I would totally go for her, she's a little plain but all that money makes up for it!"

"Too right, but I don't know if it would be worth it, she is the succubus widow after all."

"Won't be too long till the nobles won't take her no matter how much she's worth, she may have to start looking at us commoners."

"What husband is she on anyway six?"

"She's marrying husband number eight in the morning, want to bet on how long it'll take before he kicks it?"

"I don't think he'll last long, they seem to be killing themselves a lot faster than before, I got ten beli says he doesn't come back from the honeymoon."

"Oi, give the woman a break she has to know people are starting to wonder. She'll let him live out the month."

As the other two placed their bets, Ann turned back to her meal satisfied with her findings. A succubus widow huh, sounded interesting, first she would need to do a little reconnaissance and plan the best time for the hit. Nobles for the most part were arrogant enough to leave money laying out in the open in their homes though for the most part they liked to stay surrounded by that wealth so she wouldn't put it past the widow to take it all with her on her honeymoon. Based on the men's conversation of the 'succubus' Ann concluded that the widow was very greedy, sadistic and most likely somewhat unstable if not totally insane. No matter how odd nobles were, marrying so many rich men who mysteriously end up dead not long after was just not normal. Though how she managed to convince the men to kill themselves or, more likely in Ann's opinion, killing them in such a way as to not throw suspicion onto herself really didn't concern her all that much. Still it was something to keep in mind just in case she ran into the woman.

**XXX**

Finding the widows' house was no problem, everyone was gossiping about the upcoming wedding and the likely fate of the groom. Looking at the house Ann decided there had been no need to ask directions, one could easily tell this place belonged to a succubus. All of the houses in the Noble District had a similar look and feel; lavishly decorated Georgian styled two story houses with a small surrounding fenced in yard so as to separate itself from its neighbor. Though one could never imagine putting any two of the 'estates' together. True the styles where similar but the nobles here had, to Ann's way of thinking, tried to find the brightest most obnoxious decorations, flaunting their wealth and vining to stand out above the rest. Contrarily the widows' house screamed of danger. It was also done in Georgian style, but more gothic in nature, black paint accented by the swirling dark aura that pulsed from the house. The darkness so thick that even those casually passing by unconsciously took a wide berth around it, thus making the widows' house the one that stood out like a sore thumb.

Ann nonchalantly walked around the bleak house, taking in all entrances/exists, via door or window, the surrounding yard presented various hiding places behind huge shrubs and trees lining the fence to ensure privacy. The landscaping effectively isolated the residence, making it an easy mark, for those brave enough or foolish enough to enter the lair of a succubus that is. To which category Ann fell in, well guess she'd find out.

After acquiring all the information she could from the outside, Ann looked for a way to gain access to the inside. It would have been wonderful if she could find a map with the exact location of the vault but sadly nobles where a little fussy about those types of things, finding even a basic floor plan would have been a miracle. Still Ann hated going in blind, if she could find a way inside for just a quick peak, she would be happy.

**XXX**

Translations:

Gomennasai- I beg your pardon/excuse me

Arigatou- thank you

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to post; this chapter gave me a lot of problems. It flat out refused to go the way I originally intended it to. You can't imagine how ecstatic I was when the idea for this chapter finally struck me, funny how it was a vague idea I had previously rejected for this story. But once I accepted the fact that it wasn't going away the words just flew across the page. Before I knew it the chapter was well over 1,000 words. I had wanted to have one chapter an island or so but this chapter would be entirely too long and its been forever since I updated so I decided to go ahead and post what I have. Hopefully it won't be so long before the next chapter is up.**

**Anyway thanks for those of you who have added this story to your Alerts/Favs.**

**Also thanks for my first review, ****RedRose777**

**Shiary- I make no promises… however… no wait, I can't spoil it. But I do have something special in store when it comes to-**


	4. Making the Hit

**Chapter 4 Making the Hit**

Soft candlelight twinkled through the open doorway as the maid stepped outside and bowed to the distinguished male entering without a word. The maid stayed low in her bow for a minute after he had entered the townhouse before following.

The shadowed figure watched the scene with mild curiosity from the hiding place between the shrubs, where she had been crouched for the past several hours. Not for the first time she thought nobles strange, it was already after midnight, a time when all good little nobles should be tucked into bed and, wait was there such a thing as a good noble? Food for thought, though this development could go one of two ways for her; one the guest provided adequate distraction insuring no one noticed anything out of place, a good thing, or two, it would mean getting caught, very bad. She wasn't sure exactly what was going on but one thing was for certain, that was not the fiancé.

**XXX**

**Earlier that day…**

"Haha, look it's the ugly duckling!"

"Eh, who would want to look at that?"

"Yeah, this ugly duckling can't turn into a swan." Amidst the circle of jeering teenage boys knelt a young woman; strawberry blonde dreadlocks obscured her face as she set about quietly picking up her fallen produce.

"What's going on?" Ann had stopped halfway through her third circuit of the Noble area to watch the disturbance curiously.

"That's _Svenja_."

"And-"

"Well everyone knows that the widow only employees handsome men. _Svenja_ is the only woman she's been known to employee. Vain like that she is."

"Of course she would go for the eye candy, probably even a little on the side too."

"Are you kidding? It's an honor to be chosen to work for Lady _Suuhai_! A well respected distinction for the men and their families to be acknowledged as one of the most good looking gentlemen."

"So they are only eye candy?"

"Of course, the lady would never do such a thing, not with servants!"

"Oh, so you've asked them?" Ann was glad to have found a gossip but really the woman was starting to annoy her.

"Heavens no, as if I would talk so with mere servants! Anyone can see that the men are dazzled by her presence, just as commoners should be in regards to their betters."

"Uh-huh." Ann wasn't convinced; everyone seemed to think that this Lady Suuhai was a saint. Even the guys from the bar didn't seem to think badly of Suuhai. It was one thing for the nobles to believe in Suuhai, but for the commoners as well, something was off and it was in Ann's best interest to find out what.

"Here" She approached the girl slowly, holding out a fallen fruit to Svenja with a small smile. The girl barely looked up carefully keeping her hair over her face as she reached to take the fruit. The teenagers stop in their taunts to watch as Ann knelt down and helped pick up the groceries. After everything was gathered it became apparent that one of the bags had split and not all of the groceries would fit in the remaining bags.

"Allow me," Ann offered already gathering the remaining items in her arms. "I'm Ann."

"Mmm" The girl looked at her from behind her hair and though the girl had a docile demeanor Ann felt her sharp assessing stare. Ann remained smiling hoping she came off as nonthreatening and after a few nerve-racking seconds Svenja gave a slight nod as she turned towards the direction of the townhouse.

"You know I really like your hair. How do you get it to do that?"

Silence greeted Ann's question yet again. She had been trying to engage the maid in conversation since they had started walking and here she was back at the house minutes later and the most she had gotten from the girl was the "Mmm" when Svenja sized her up. Not going well for her at all, at this rate she wouldn't make it through the front (or was it the back door that servants where allowed to enter?).

Ann franticly racked her mind searching for something she could use to get into the house without causing suspicion. But time was up the pair had already reached the back door and Ann sighed accepting that she would be stumbling around that night when she made the hit. Except when she looked up ready to give her burden to Svenja the maid just jerked her head towards the open doorway before going in herself.

Ann could barely contain her excitement now the job would be so much easier and that was how she preferred it. In and out going straight to the goods and back out was not only the easiest but also the safest way to go about a hit. Stumbling around in an unknown place was just asking to get caught so many things could go wrong as it was but add the fact that one doesn't know the layout you could potentially stumble into an occupied room or have a midnight snack-er and not know where to safely hide.

Ann practically skipped through the door, "Wow, I've never been in a nobles house before!" To anyone else it looked as though she was excitedly looking around and trying to take everything in at once, but unlike others who tried to see everything at once only to forget the details later she missed nothing and wouldn't forget.

"This is so cool, who owns this place? They have great taste! Would I be able to get a job here? Do you like living here?" Ann rattled off questions as she helped Svenja put away the groceries. She didn't give the girl time to answer though she doubted that she would have gotten one even if she waited all day.

"Do you think I could use the restroom before I leave?" Ann asked as the last of the groceries were put away. "Please!" she gave a small pout.

"Yes, wait till I tell my friends that I used a nobles bathroom!" She left the kitchen swiftly following the direction Svenja had pointed out. Svenja had been a tough cookie to crack but it had been worth all the fact peppiness and giddiness, though she just might need to puke a little once she got out, _great taste my foot_. Ann worked quickly and quietly learning where each room was located and what all was in them before heading back to the kitchen to take her leave.

All in all a very satisfying day, by the time she left the house Ann knew the exact route she would take from where she would enter to which rooms she would hit and the order in which she would hit them. Now the only thing she had to do was wait until nightfall.

**XXX**

**Present…**

Patiently Ann sat back on her heels giving the household time to settle. After another hour had pasted she rose, stretching her muscles sore from lack of movement. The man had yet to leave the house, but enough time had past that the two should be otherwise occupied and the servants should all be back in bed. It was a bit risky but what in life wasn't? It just added to the thrill.

Staying low Ann slipped up to the side of the house, third window back. After a quick peak to make sure all was clear she opened the window, which earlier in the day she had unlocked and made sure to close it back before she moved on. Ann drifted down the hall making a few pit stops along the way to nab a few shiny things that had caught her eye. Her ultimate goal though was the back room office where the safe was tucked away.

The last room before the office though peaked Ann's curiosity. The rest of the house had been dark but from this room, the room she had pegged as the master bedroom had a soft red glow emitting form the slightly ajar door. She had expected some light might come from there but a red light? Ann crouched down next to the door and looked inside. On top of the king sized bed lay the man with Suuhai riding cowgirl style. Normally Ann wasn't one to watch and would have continued on with the hit right away if not for the fact that the red glow wasn't coming from a candle with a red shade. No it was coming from Suuhai herself or more aptly the necklace she was wearing, not only that but misty wisps like things were coming from the man and looked like they were being absorbed by Suuhai.

Now that was unexpected, she had thought that the nickname 'succubus widow' had come about because one the woman was a widow and two her name, _Muma_, could be translated to succubus. Ann wondered if they knew just how apt the name really was. But as entrancing as that was she needed to get back to the business at hand. It really wasn't her business what nobles did to one another.

**XXX**

**Newspaper Article**

Guests were disappointed yesterday as the highly anticipated wedding of one Suuhai Muma, beloved second cousin of _Tenryūbito_Saint Roswald, and _Kizoku_ Sebastian Glen was postponed yet again. The grand event was originally set to take place months ago in the Grand Line but was postponed so the ceremony could be held on _Hiougi,_ Sebastian's home island in East Blue. Attendees had gathered in the church anxiously waiting the first glimpse of the bride, but as the organ began to play the bride was nowhere to be found. Though they didn't think much of this at first, it was only after some time had pasted the worry sat in.

"Suuhai had a flare for being fashionably late, but there is such a thing as being too fashionable late. It was quite troublesome really, and frankly I had never known her to be so late." Commented a long time friend.

At this point the shocked party could only speculate on what had become of the beloved bride to be. Just as the guest were about to leave Suuhai stormed in, an hour late, still wearing her everyday cloths, and clearly furious. Her anger became apparent as she told of her plight and encouraged her peers to go home and check their things for the previous night a burglar had somehow managed to slip into her townhouse undetected and steal everything of value. Including her prized '_Shinkai no Tama'_; a rare teardrop ruby pendant attached to the priceless family heirloom, tiny rainbow black pearls entwined in a golden chain. Suuhai was always seen wearing the '_Shinkai no Tama'_, she told reporters she never took it off.

Little is known about the burglar, one can speculate that he is highly skilled as he somehow managed to get passed the night guards posted at the Noble District's only gate, enter the townhouse without waking Suuhai or her servants and vanish into thin air with all the money and valuables from the safe as well as lifting her necklace from her very neck.

"Everything else was undisturbed, the windows and doors properly closed with nary a mark, not even a dirty footprint marring the recently waxed white marble floor, almost as if he flew in on a silent wind."

A surveillance snail was able to take a blurry picture of the intruder as he opened the safe. Though he wore all black and almost blended into the night completely we were able to deduce that he is of average height, between five-five to five-eight feet tall, based on the placement of the snail. A few strands of blonde hair could be made out, peeking out from behind is mask and wild brown eyes appeared to stare right at you from the picture as if they could see into your very soul.

Thought this is the first time we have heard anything about this masked burglar the marines are preceding with caution, fearing that this is just the beginning and are offering a 45,000,000 reward for the capture of the man they have dubbed "The Wild Wind".

Suuhai herself is also offering a reward for the return of her necklace or any information regarding its whereabouts.

**XXX**

_**Translations**_**:**

_Svenja_: german for swan, feminine form of Sven

_Suuhai_: worship/adoration/admiration/cult

_Muma_: nightmare/incubus/succubus/demon appearing in a dream

_Tenryūbito__: _celestial dragon

_Kizoku:_ noble; not to be confused with, _Sekai Kizoku__,_ world nobles

_Hiougi:_ folding fan/blackberry lily

_Shinkai no Tama:_ shinkai means, deep sea; tama is royal stone (tama reference from Inu Yasha)

**Note: I will be writing names as they are spoken in Japanese; example Suuhai Muma, Suuhai is the surname and Muma the given name (that is if the person in question has both and/or both are known). So with Muma's character the story has turned slightly supernatural, of course I kind of think OP already has a supernatural-ish feel to it, hello devil fruits, sea monsters, and mermaids? It's not too hard to imagine a succubus entering in now is it?**

**Songs that contributed to the making of this chapter:**

**Devil in Disguise- Elvis Presley**

**A/N: I hope this turned out okay I kinda only skimmed through it real quick before posting, I had most of this written over a month ago just needed to finish up a few scenes. And I know, I know, there's way too much time in between post I apologize. I ran out of free time faster than I thought I would. I had hoped to be farther along before the end of November because, sadly, I've been living at work for the past month and barely had time to sleep. But I got a great idea thanks to that short hiatus from writing, a slight change to my original plan, but I think it makes it better. I'm hoping to get back into the swing of the story so I can update at least every two weeks if not weekly. I have parts of each chapter written up to my current chapter 10 (I really want to get to chapter 10 soon, it's the scene where I came up with Ann's character. (Sometimes I wish I had started out there but I wanted to add a little background first.)). Feel free to flood my inbox to push me into posting faster.**

**Memmi, Bisepadi & Shiary: Thank you guys so much for your wonderful reviews. I get very excited each time I see a new review or new alert/fav subscriber.**

**Original Post: 1/1/12  
><strong>


	5. Entering the Grand Line

**Story so far: Ann has left Dawn Island and Luffy behind, following Ace to the Grand Line. After a pit stop on the island Hiougi, where she tested her thieving skills on a Noble in order to finance her trip, Ann continues on her journey determined to make it to the Grand Line.  
><strong>

**Chapter 5 Entering the Grand Line**

**Loguetown**

Ann sashayed through the cobbled streets nearly bursting from excitement; there was just something about Loguetown. Maybe it was the fact that it was the birthplace of Roger himself, or that not only had he lived here, he had died here. Still it could have been from the knowledge that this was the last island that stood between her and reverse mountain, the entrance to the Grand Line. Either way, there were so many new things to see, she was having a hard time focusing on any one thing.

Caught up in the moment Ann failed to notice when the crowd started to thin as the people changed course so they walked closer to the side of the road. Her attention was soon brought to a focus when she collided with something very solid. Ann winced, not because it hurt, though landing ungracefully on your butt on cobblestone wasn't the most pleasant feeling in the world, she wasn't pleased with the fact that running into things seemed to be becoming a habit. While it was okay to purposely run into people or things when planned in advanced, it was not so much fun to randomly run into things and not be adequately compensated for it.

Cautiously Ann tilted her head up slightly allowing her to peak up at the 'thing' from the safety of her bangs.

"Oi, you should watch where your going kid." The gravelly drawl rumbled out of said 'thing' from around the two cigars clenched between its teeth. He was a tall man and obviously very fit, the view made possible by his unzipped white jacket that had green fur lining the neck, hem and wrists. So while he didn't wear the regular uniform of a marine Ann could very well guess that the word 'Justice' was on the back of that open jacket, if the small army of marines that were glaring at her from behind him were any indication.

"_Gomen_," Ann said quietly casting her eyes down. She could feel her body shaking right along with her voice, aching palms digging more painfully into the pavement. The man grunted and she heard the rustle of clothing as the party moved on. The tension gradually faded and her breathing slowly became normal as the crowd went on about their business ignoring the young girl still sitting in the streets. Why, Ann wondered, why did this have to happen? She had been doing so well too, hadn't she? She interacted with the maid on _Hiougi_ just fine, better than fine, she had been able to act the part of bubbly Ann right? Sure she was normally a happy person, but bubbly she was not. Ann shuddered at the word.

But that was beside the point, for some reason she just couldn't talk to people. When it had to do with a hit, she was fine, was that because she wasn't acting entirely like herself? Or maybe it was because it had only been one person she was interacting with at a time? She sighed tiredly, maybe Ace had been right after all and she should have stayed back on Dawn Island. She was just to shy to be out in a place like the Grand Line, she couldn't even make it down the streets of a medium sized town without freezing up.

No, she couldn't give up yet. She had to do this. This was her chance to change; she couldn't continue to live like she had been, depending on Ace or Dandan all the time. This was something she had to do on her own. Ann had promised herself that she would fulfill her dream and to do that she had to come out of her shell. She stood up slowly, dusting off her pants content with her resolve. Ace wouldn't like it but in the end, he would understand.

**XXX**

**Reverse Mountain**

It was breathtaking; the shear size of it so intimidating it caused those who dared to try to pass through to forget for a moment the rough sea that they currently sailed. As she stared in awe Ann could hardly believe that she was there. She barely felt the spray from the high waves rain down on her, plastering her hair and clothes to her body.

She had gathered all the necessities from Loguetown as quickly as possible. So she didn't hang around trying to chat people up, after that little scare with Smoker, she had learned was his name, she was leery of making conversation. Baby steps, she kept telling herself, it wouldn't happen over night. Though she had managed to pick up some valuable information. It was one trait she had picked up thanks to her shyness that she liked. She had this innate ability to disappear in a crowd, not disappear as in go invisible, but to just fade into the background so that no one realized you were there. This enabled her to listen to others conversations without being noticed. A good trick to have when one was a thief.

She just hoped that when time came for Luffy to sail that that man was reassigned. Not that she didn't have any faith in Luffy, she did. If he said he was going to do something then he would. Ann just hoped that he would make it to the Grand Line without too much trouble. Luffy the crybaby and Ann the shy, they made quite the pair, she already missed him.

Ann gritted her teeth as she focused on the task at hand, fighting the current. She had managed to get a better quaintly sailboat at Loguetown, so she felt a little safer than she had with her previous one. But the waters here were fierce, they tossed the boat from side to side while at the same time yanking it to the jagged cliffs. Steering was near impossible by this point and she worried her course wouldn't put her in the passage. The cliffs loomed above her and all Ann could do is hope fate was on her side. Whatever fate deemed she would meet it head on.

Clutching the mast with all her strength Ann gasped in delight as she rocketed under the red pillars marking the entrance to Reverse Mountain. The ride up was thrilling, better than any rollercoaster; it seemed to go on and on, when finally there was nothing before her and the boat made a sudden drop back onto the ocean road. Ann laughed joyfully as the boat increased its speed on the decent. She would have thrown her hands into the air if she weren't so anxious about being flung off.

All too soon the ocean came into view, she had done, she had made it to the Grand Line!

**XXX**

Taking a deep breath of the fresh sea air and stretched out her sore limbs. Today was the first day in weeks that the sky had been clear and the waters calm. Ever since the day she left reverse mountain behind it had been total chaos. One minute it was snowing, the next she was in the middle of a warm tropical storm. Crocus had warned her of the perils of sailing on this sea, especially a lone woman in a sailboat. Just the thought had her gritting her teeth, what was the deal with men? Thinking they were the only ones capable of sailing the Grand Line, well she'd show them.

Though she should have taken his words of caution a little more seriously, but how could anyone take someone who had a flower growing out of their head like hair seriously? He already had a strike against him with the whale incident, game her ass. True he had made up for it with a Log Pose; it was amazing how hard it was to come by things from the Grand Line in the Blues. She found all kinds of things from the other Blues in Loguetown but nothing from the Grand Line. Maybe she just hadn't gone to the right place, she pretty much went to the places that looked like they would have the supplies she needed and didn't look any further than that after she had amassed everything she thought she needed. Ann had heard rumors about the Grand Line but nothing concrete it seemed that people just didn't talk about it, many probably didn't know anything about it, but you would think there would be more rumors floating around…

_**Translations:**_

_Gomen:_ sorry

_Hiougi:_ folding fan/blackberry lily

**A/N: Not much action happened in this chapter. Wanted to go a little more into Ann's character. Which brings up the question what do you think of her personality? Does it fit? I wanted her to be a bit different, she's got some contrasting traits but I hope that it's not too inconsistent. **

**Shiary: Ouch, that put me in my place (sheepish giggle). I'll try to remember that.**

**lexzly: Thank you so much. I hope I can keep it interesting for you.  
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